Ben Stokes announces England retirement after reaching century of knockouts
by Nathan Cowley 4 months ago 
An emotional Ben Stokes has retired from international cricket after knocking out the last opponent of his career.
Lifting his bat into the air whilst the New Zealand bowler lay unconscious on the floor, Stokes soaked in the admiration from the England fans on the final test match of his career.
“It’s an emotional day,” said Ben Stokes, wiping the blood from his knuckles.
“I’ve had some great fights while representing England over the past 15 years. There was the Bristol street brawl in 2017, the nightclub knockout a few weeks ago and now to end with a century is the stuff of dreams. This is what English cricket is all about.
“I’ve achieved everything I wanted to from my international career. Nobody will come close to the knockouts I’ve accomplished. I remember Ricky Ponting getting knocked unconscious in 1999 and thinking, ‘That’s the legacy I want.’ Well, obviously I didn’t want to be Ricky Ponting. He lost the bar fight. But he did inspire me to work on getting faster feet so I could dodge the punches better.
“When all is said and done, I can leave cricket safe in the knowledge that I’ve undeniably left my mark. It just so happens that mark was a black eye, concussion and 12-stitches above the eyebrow.”
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